Sleeping car arrangement



April 10, 1951 c. L. EKSERGIAN SLEEPING CAR ARRANGEMENT s Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 29, 1948 IN V EN TOR. Cdrolus .LrEkserqLcm ATTORNEY April 1951 c. L. EKSERGIAN 2,548,292

SLEEPING CAR ARRANGEMENT Filed April 29, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ENTOR.

P164 y Carolus LEkserg'um April 10, 1951 c. L. EKSERGIAN SLEEPING CAR ARRANGEMENT Filed April 29, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Covolus L. E kserqicm ATTORNEY C. L. EKSERGIAN SLEEPING CAR ARRANGEMENT April 10, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed April 29, 1948 IN V EN TOR.

Ccn'olus L .Ekserq an April 10, 1951 c. L. EKSERGIAN SLEEPING CAR ARRANGEMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 29, 1948 I EN TR. 2 7 Carolus LE ksergiam ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 10, 1951 SLEEPING CAR ARRANGEMENT Carolus L. Ek'sergian. Media, Pa., assignor to The Budd Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application April 29, 1948, Serial No. 24,033

9 Claims. 1

The invention relates to sleeping cars and particularly to such cars equipped on both sides of a central aisle with rooms for single-occupancy use equipped with washing, dressing and toilet facilities, so that a person can travel with complete privacy.

It is a main object of the invention to greatly increase the number of such rooms in a given car length, and this without sacrifice of any of the conveniences. By increasing the number of such individual accommodations, the travelling public may obtain the advantage of this type of room at reduced tariffs.

This object is attained by arranging pairs of superposed rooms adjacent the opposite sides of the aisle, these rooms being not materially longer than the length of a full-length bed. To reduce the height of the car and still have standingheight space in the rooms, the generally horizontally extending wall separating a pair of such superposed rooms is formed with a jog intermediate its ends, standing-height spaces for the respective rooms being on opposite sides of this jog. Less-than-standing-height spaces form with the standing-height spaces the full room length and are utilized, among other things, to receive the seats which face the standing spaces. When the rooms are made up as bedrooms, the beds extend lengthwise for substantially the length of the respective rooms. With such rooms arranged in continuous series from end to end of the car, it becomes possible to provide for as many as 44 separate single-occupancy rooms in a car of normal length, i. e., 85 it. between bumpers. As far as applicant is aware, no arrangement having the conveniences ofiered by this arrangement has come anywhere near equalling this number of single-occupancy rooms in a railway car.

Other and further objects and advantages and the manner in which they are attained will become evident from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accom panying drawings forming a part of this specification.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a sectional plan view through a portion of a railway car equipped with the invention and having a series of superposed rooms on both sides of the center aisle, the section being taken through the upper rooms substantially along the line l--l of Figures 3, 4, and 6, and the rooms at the top of the view being shown made up for daytime use, and the rooms at the bottom for nighttime use;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, the section being taken through the lower rooms and substantially along the line 2-2 of Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6;

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view looking toward the car side, the section being taken through the rooms at one side of the aisle substantialy along the line 3-3 of Figures 1 and Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 looking toward the opposite car side, the section being taken through the rooms at the opposite side of the aisle substantially along the line 4-4 of Figures 1 and 2;'

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but looking toward the aisle, the section being taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Figures 1 and 2; in this view the rooms at the right are shown made up for daytime use, and the rooms at the left for nighttime use;

Figure 6 is a central Vertical longitudinal sectional view as indicated by the line 66 of Figures 1 and 2, this view also showing the rooms at the right made up for nighttime use,'and at the left for daytime use;

Figures '7 and 8 are vertical transverse sectional views, the sections being taken substantially along the lines 'l---'! and 88, respectively of Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 9 is an enlarged detail longitudinal vertical sectional view through one of the rooms, the section being taken substantially along the line 9-9 of Figure 2; andv Figures 10 and 11 are enlarged detail sectional views of the bed operating mechanism of Figure 9, Figure 10 being a section taken substantially along the line Iii-l0 of Figure 11, and Figure 11 being a section taken substantially along the line H-H of Figure 10.

In all the views, the showing is more or less diagrammatic as far as the car structure isconcerned.

In'the drawings, the car side walls are desig nated generally by numerals Ill and H, the floor by l2, and the roof by l3, and the walls defining the center aisle are designated l4 and I5.

Between each longitudinally extending car side wall, as Ill, and the adjacent longitudinally extending aisle wall, as I l, are arranged the singleoccupancy rooms according to the invention. These rooms are arranged in pairs, as clearly appears in Figures 3, 4 and 5, which are substantially directly superposed, such a vertically disposed pair of upper and lower rooms comprising, in efiect, a unit, these units being arranged adjacent each other lengthwise of the car. Such units are designated A, B, C and D, and each consists of an upper room and a lower room, lengthwise defined by the transverse walls i6 extending vertically from the floor to the roof and interconnecting the associated car side and aisle walls. Since these units are the same except that the adjacent ones are reversely arranged, a detailed description of one unit will suffice for an understanding of the invention.

The longitudinal dimension between the transverse walls l6 of a unit pair of rooms, as is made clear from the drawings, is not substantially greater than the length of a full-length bed dis posed therein in horizontal use position.

To provide adequate standing height in each room, yet without necessitating an excessive overall height of the car, the floor 12 may be, and this is particularly true between car trucks, depressed a substantial distance below the normal car floor leve and the gener -11y horizontally extendin partition or wall I l separating the superposed rooms and formin the ceiling for the lower room and the floor for the upper, is formed with a vertical ofiset intermediate its ends connecting the transverse walls I6. Specifically, this wall may have an upper horizontal portion [8, extending longitudinally inwardly from one transverse wall 16 a distance suflicient to provide standing space under it in the lower room, and a similar lower horizontal portion l9, extending longitudinally inwardly from the opposite: transverse wall 8 a distance suflicient to provide standing Space above it in th upp r r om. The inner ends of these horizontally extending vertically offset portions are interconnected by a generally vertically extendin p rtion 28.,

Thus it will be seen that each room is divided lengthwise into at least two sections, one a standing-height section, and the other a less-thanstanding-height section, and that the standingheight section of one room is vertically aligned with or in the vertical projection of the less-thanstanding-height section of the other room of the unit pair. This arrangement permits an overall height of the two rooms not substantially greater than that necessary to provide comfortable sittin height in the less-than-standing-height sections of the rooms.

In the region of the offset in the horizontally extending partition i'l separating the upper and lower rooms, a seat 2! having a folding back 22 associated therewith is provided in the upper room, this seat facing toward the standing-room section of the room and being disposed at proper seat height above the standing floor 59 of the room and on the upper horizontal portion it of the dividing wall. The seat back 22 is suitably locked in the inclined use position shown in Figures 3 and 5.

The lower room also has a seat 23 supported at suitable seat height above the floor in the region of the offset in the dividin wall IT, this seat and its associated folding back 24, when in use position, being disposed in part at least under the lower horizontal portion H) of the dividing wall, and the seat proper 23 being in substantially vertical alignment with the seat 2i in the upper room but facing in opposite lengthwise direction, i. e,, toward the standing-height section of the lower room, Th folding seat back 24 is also suitably locked in its inclined use position as shown in Figures 3 and 5.

Suitable windows, as 25, are provided in the side wall for each room, these windows being located in proper relation to the seats to afiord the occupants a good view outside the car.

When the rooms are in condition for day travel, as shown in Figure 3, the upper portion of Figures 1 and 2 and at the right of Figure 5, the fixedlength made-up beds 26 are stowed in vertical position against the vertical transverse Wall I 6 of th room adjacent the standing-height section thereof. Any suitable means may be provided for locking them in this position.

When the rooms are converted into bedrooms, the seat backs 22 and 24 are first released and then swung downwardly into horizontal alignment with the seats 21 and 23, after which the beds 26 can be swung in suitable manner to the horizontal use position overlying the associated seat and seat back, as shown in Figure l, at the bottom of Figures 1 and 2 and at the left of Figure 5. Suitable means may be provided to support and lock them in this position.

In the detail views of Figures 9'to 11, inclusive, there is shown one specific means for moving the bed between use and stowed positions, this means being particularly useful in connection with the bed for the lower room to allow it to swing past the ofiset in the dividing partition H.

To this end, the bed is mounted for endwise as well as swinging movement, its extreme end being guided by roller pins 21, in fixed guides 28. A link 29 has one end swingable about a fixed pivot 30, and its opposite end is connected by a pin 3| with a guide slot 32 in the side of the bed. Intermediate its ends the link 29 is connected by a second link 33 pivoted to it at 3 3 and havin its opposite end guided by pin 35 in a vertical slot 36. It will be seen that the arrangement permits the bed to move endwise as it is swung (as indicated in dot-and-dash lines in Figure 9) so as to clear the offset in partition i! in moving it between use and stowed positions. Suitable counterbalance springs, as 38 and 39, may react upon the pin 2'! and the pin 35, respectively, at one side of the bed to assist in counterbalancing the bed. Similar means could also be used to move the beds in the upper rooms, but it will be understood that any suitable means could be used other than the specific means shown.

To provide access to the rooms and standing space when the beds are in use position, as clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2, the beds and chairs are made less than the full width of the rooms. To make the rooms substantially equally accessible from the aisle, the aisle floor 80, Figures 5, 6, 7 and 8, is preferably raised to a position about midway between the standing floors of the two rooms, and access is had from the aisle to the rooms through the doorway 4| and steps 42 for the upper room and through the doorway 43 and steps 44 to the lower room. As shown in Figure 8, the floor of the upper room is provided with an offset 45 to provide headroom for a person entering the lower room. The doorways 4i and 43 are preferably closed by sliding doors 4S and 41, respectively, and the aisle wall is thickened to allow the necessary overlap, see Figure 2, between these doors when they are moved to the open position.

As shown in Figures 2 and 8, the lower rooms are provided with folding washbasins 49 and cabinets with mirrors 50 thereabove which may be arranged against the step Wells of the corresponding upper rooms adjacent the aisle wall. As shown in Figures 1 and 7, the washbasins 5| for the upper rooms may fold against the aisle Wall. alongside the doorways therein leading to said rooms. In Figure 1 they are shown in dotand-dash lines in extended use position.

a similar space 55 above the aisle ceiling 56, the spaces being usable for air conditioning ducts, pipes, electric conduits, etc.

With the arrangement described, it is possible to extend the superposed room arrangement substantially to the ends of the car, where steps may be provided between the elevated aisle floor and the end platform. When the rooms are arranged only between the car trucks, it may be possible, by extending the floor downwardly, to leave the aisle at platform or substantially platform level and to obtain most of the requisite height by depressing the floor without any substantial raising of the roof above normal height. However, it is possible to raise the roof the required extent even where the rooms are so arranged over the trucks, without exceeding the clearance requirements of manv of the existing railroads. It will be seen that this arrangement materially increases the number of single-occupancy fully-eouipped private rooms which can be accommodated on a given length of car, making it possible to have as many as 44 separate rooms of this type on one car having the normal length of 85 ft. between bumpers.

While a specific form of the invention has been herein described in detail, it will be understood that it is not limited to the embodiment shown, and that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a sleeping car having a central aisle extending longitudinally thereof, a pair of rooms disposed longitudinally of the car adjacent said aisle with one room of said pair substantially directlv over the other, the wall separating the rooms having upper and lower substantially horizontal portions, vertically offset from each other and extending lengthwise inwardly, respectively, from the opposite ends of the rooms, and an intermediate portion having at least vertical extent and interconnecting the adjacent inner ends of said upper and lower horizontal portions, said up er and lower horizontal portions having sufficient lengthwise extent from the opposite ends of the rooms to provide standing space in the respective rooms, a seat for the upper room disposed, in part at least, beyond the inner end of the lower horizontal portion and at proper seat height above it, a seat for the lower room disposed, in part at least, beyond the inner end of the upper horizontal portion and at proper seat height above the room floor, a bed for the upper room movable for night travel across the upper room standing space and in overlying relation to said upper horizontal portion so as to extend substantially the full length of the room, and movable for day travel to render the upper room standing space available, and a bed for the lower room movable for night travel across the lower room standing space and in underlying relation to said lower horizontal portion so as to extend substantially the full length of the room, and movable for day travel to render the lower room standing space available.

2. In a sleeping car having a central aisle ex- As shown in Figures '7 and 8, a space 54 is provided below the raised aisle floor 40 and tending longitudinally thereof, a pair of rooms disposed longitudinally of the car adjacent said aisle With one room substantially directly over the other, the wall separating said rooms having upper and lower substantially horizontal, vertically offset portions extending longitudinally inwardly, respectively, from the opposite ends of the rooms, and a substantially vertical portion interconnecting the adjacent inner ends of said upper and lower horizontal portions, said vertical portion being spaced suiiiciently from the opposite ends of the rooms to provide standing space in the respective rooms, a seat for the upper room overlying at least a part of said upper horizontal portion, a seat for the lower room underlying at least a part of said lower horizontal portion, a bed for said upper room movable for night travel across the upper room standing space and in overlying relation to said upper horizontal portion so as to extend substantially the full length of the room, and movable for day travel to render said upper room standing space available, and a bed for said lower room movable for night travel across the lower room standing space and in underlying relation to said lower horizontal portion so as to extend substantially the full length of the room, and movable for day travel to render said lower room standing space available.

3. In a sleeping car having a central aisle extending longitudinally thereof, a pair of rooms disposed longitudinally of the car adjacent said aisle with one room" of the pair substantially directly over the other, a jogged wall separating the rooms and dividing the rooms lengthwise into sections of different heights comprising a standing-height section and a less-than-standingheight section for each room, the sections of one room being arranged reversely to the sections of the other so as to bring the standing-height section of one room in vertical alignment with at least a portion of the less than-standing-height section of the other, a seat in each room disposed, in part at least, in the less-than-standing-height section thereof, and a bed in each room movable for night travel across the standing-height section thereof and movable for day travel to render said standing-height section available, said beds, when moved to use position for night travel, extending longitudinally of the car substantially the full length of the respective rooms.

4. In a sleeping car having a central aisle extending longitudinally thereof, a pair of substantially directly superposed rooms disposed longitudinally of the car adjacent said aisle, a-jogged wall separating the rooms and dividing each of the rooms lengthwise thereof into at least two sections of different heights, namely, a standingheight section and a less-than-standing-height section having at least a portion thereof adjacent the standing-height section which is of sittingheight, the sections of the rooms being arranged reversely whereby the overall height of the two rooms is determined in large measure by the sum of their sitting-height sections, a seat disposed, at least in part, in the sitting-height section of each room, and a bed in each room movable for night travel to extend longitudinally substantially the full length of the room and movable for day travel to render said standingand sittingheight sections of the room available;

5. In a sleeping car, a pair of substantially directly superposed rooms useable as sitting rooms or as bedrooms and arranged between longitudinally extending center aisle and car side walls tion thereof, and a bed in each room movable between a stowed position clearing most of the standing and sitting space of the room and a horizontal use position extending longitudinally of the car substantially the full length of the room.

6. In a sleeping car, a pair of substantially directly superposed rooms adapted for day and night travel and defined by longitudinally extending car side and center aisle walls, spaced transverse walls interconnecting said side and aisle walls and a separating wall, said separating wall being vertically jogged intermediate the ends thereof which join the transverse walls and the jog dividing the rooms lengthwise into different height sections, namely, a standing-height section and a less-than-standing-height section, the standing-height sections of the respective rooms being disposed adjacent the opposite transverse walls and being, for each room, in substantially vertical alignment with at least a portion of the less-than-standing-height section of the other room, a seat disposed in large part in the lessthan-standing-height section of each room and facing the standing-height section thereof, and a bed in each room movable for night travel to extend horizontally over substantially the full length of the room and movable for day travel to render the standing and sitting spaces of the room available.

7. In a, sleeping car, a pair of substantially directly superposed rooms arranged between longitudinally extending center aisle and car side walls, said rooms being separated by a generally horizontally extending partition offset vertically to provide a standing-height space at one end of each room and a less-than-standingheight space at the opposite end of each room, the standing-height space of one room being in substantially vertical alignment with the lessthan-standing-height space of the other room, seating space provided in each room longitudinally in the region of said offset, the seating spaces of the two rooms being generally superposed, seats disposed in the seating spaces of the respective rooms, the seat in the upper room offset and facing longitudinally-in opposite direction to the seat in the upper room, and fixedlength beds, one in each room, normally stowed 7 room.

60 being disposed on the offset of the partition and that in the lower room being disposed under the 8. In a railway sleeping car, a pair of superposed rooins arranged between longitudinally extending center aisle and car side walls, said rooms being separated by a generally horizontally extending partition offset vertically intermediate its ends to provide standing-height space at one end of each room and less-than-standingheight space at the opposite end of each room, the standing-height space of one room being in the vertical projection of the less-than-standingheight space of the other room, a seat in the upper room disposed on the offset in the lessthan-standing-height space of the room, a seat in the lower room, and fixed-length beds, one for each room, normally stowed to free the sitting and standing spaces of the respective rooms for day travel and movable to use position for night travel in which they extend horizontally substantially the full length of the associated room.

9. In a railway car, a pair of superposed rooms arranged between a center aisle wall and a car side wall and defined by transverse end walls, said rooms being separated by a generally horizontally extending partition extending between the transverse end walls and providing a ceiling for the lower room and a floor for the upper room, said partition being offset intermediate its ends to provide lengthwise arranged different-height spaces in each room, one space being of standing height and another being of less-than-standing height, the standing-height space of one room being substantially in the vertical projection of the less-than-standingheight space of the other room, a longitudinally facing seat in each room, the seat in the upper room being disposed on the ofiset of the partition which is at substantially seat height above the floor of the stand-height space of said room, and a fixed-length bed in each room normally stowed for day travel and movable to use position for night travel extending horizontally across said spaces for substantially the full length of the associated room.

CAROLUS L. EKSERGIAN.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Murphy Mar. 15, 1949 Number 

